Facing the Fear in His Heart

This scene made Tang Hao break out in a cold sweat from the shadows!

"Sure enough, this kid held back when he fought Little San in a spirit battle! Otherwise, just those two moves would have crippled Little San!"

It was too bizarre. Tang Hao had never seen or even heard of such a bizarre attack method!

"Damn it, this kid's attacks are definitely locked on! From over ten meters away, hitting a weak point like the eyes with perfect accuracy..."

Tang Hao analyzed it in his heart for a while. The more he thought about it, the more terrifying it felt!

Once Zhu Rong grew stronger, if he silently ambushed someone—or faced them head-on—his sword martial soul even had the ability to misdirect...

What kind of sword martial soul attacked like this?!

Even when Chen Xin controlled swords, he still had to send the sword out!

At least that was still within everyone's understanding.

This attack method of hitting wherever he pointed was far, far more powerful than Chen Xin's attacks...

"With this kid's bizarre attack method, Soul Masters below Rank 50 would find it nearly impossible to guard against!"

Unless they wrapped themselves in Soul Power beforehand to block off the flames, the consequences would be unimaginable!

"Hm? Holy shit!"

Although the Mandala Snake had been severely wounded by Zhu Rong, it was still struggling desperately. The trees within several meters of it had all been smashed apart!

This Mandala Snake was the first living Soul Beast Zhu Rong had ever seen!

In the original novel, it had been described as terrifying beyond measure!

Zhu Rong did not dare let down his guard. It was still "lively and kicking" after four attacks, which showed that it was truly strong!

He kept gripping and swinging the holy sword with both hands, launching nearly two attacks per second. He did not attack anywhere else, only targeting the snake's eyes and that gaping bloody mouth.

The flames had initially been only the size of a thumb, but after Zhu Rong attacked dozens of times, they had spread across the snake's entire head!

"Th-this kid... has quite a lot of Soul Power!"

Tang Hao said in surprise.

At the Soul Master stage, being able to release one's first soul skill three times in a row already counted as having abundant Soul Power.

Was there even any difference between this kid's normal attacks and soul skills? Both used Soul Power to unleash them. Their destructive power was not particularly great, but they were bizarre!

After a while, a fragrant smell drifted over. Um...

"Stop. It's already dead."

Just as Zhu Rong was about to add two more strikes, Tang Hao's voice reached his ears.

Tang Hao had only wanted to let Zhu Rong gain some "experience," but the result had been unexpected. This kid had greatly exceeded his expectations.

"Huff, huff..."

Zhu Rong put away his martial soul and plopped onto the ground without a shred of dignity, gasping heavily.

"S-scary. Too scary..."

As he panted, Zhu Rong muttered to himself.

Snakes!

Forget snakes over four meters long—even smaller ones were frightening as long as they were long, venomous creatures with triangular heads. Any normal person would be afraid of them...

"Blacksmith, I spent Gold Soul Coins to hire you for help, yet when danger showed up, you actually ran away!"

Seeing Tang Hao emerge again, Zhu Rong said indignantly.

It would have been fine if it were another kind of Soul Beast, but Zhu Rong was genuinely afraid of creatures like snakes!

He was trembling all over.

"But you weren't in any danger."

Tang Hao said calmly, as though he had not been the one who had abandoned Zhu Rong just now.

"?"

Zhu Rong's little brain did not process that immediately.

Tang Hao was right. What danger could he possibly face against a Mandala Snake with only four hundred years of cultivation?

But when he thought about it carefully, something still felt off.

"Wait, I killed this Mandala Snake. What is Tang San supposed to kill?"

When a Mandala Snake was a hundred-year Soul Beast, every additional meter of length represented another hundred years of cultivation.

This one was a little over four meters long, with a little over four hundred years of cultivation.

After a Mandala Snake reached a thousand years of cultivation, it would shed its skin and compress itself.

A thousand-year Mandala Snake was not ten meters long, but one meter. After that, it grew one meter longer for every additional thousand years of cultivation...

For a relatively powerful hundred-year Soul Beast like a Mandala Snake, it was difficult for a second one to appear in the same Soul Hunting Forest!

Most importantly, it was difficult for a second one with nearly the same cultivation age to appear.

That was why Zhu Rong believed that the Mandala Snake he had killed before him was Tang San's first soul ring in the original story.

"It's already dead. Why should I care what he gets..."

Zhu Rong curled his lips and thought to himself.

What soul ring Tang San obtained had nothing to do with him.

Once the time was right, Tang San would be the first person he killed...

"Hm? What is this?"

All of a sudden, Zhu Rong felt a warm current appear out of nowhere within his body, nourishing his body, mind, and Soul Power.

Before long, the warm current vanished.

After carefully sensing himself, Zhu Rong discovered that he seemed to have improved slightly.

His previous "attack range" had been roughly twenty meters. Now, it had increased to around twenty-one meters.

"Hiss..."

"Ascension Stairway?"

That was right. This warm current had come from Judgment Heavenly God Kail's passive ability, Ascension Stairway, after Zhu Rong killed the Mandala Snake.

Zhu Rong looked at the Mandala Snake with yellow rings emerging from its body, then looked at his own hands.

He had never imagined that a mere four-hundred-year Soul Beast could bring him such a huge improvement!

"Little Manman, your death was worthwhile! It's better than becoming someone's soul ring!"

The soul ring had already appeared, which meant the Mandala Snake was truly dead, not pretending.

Zhu Rong boldly walked over to the Mandala Snake's corpse and kicked it twice more.

In his previous life, he had just been an ordinary person. It was normal for him to fear snakes.

In this life, he could not have such a weakness anymore!

The way to face fear was to confront it head-on!

Zhu Rong gritted his teeth and kicked it twice more...

Tang Hao stood nearby, smiling as he shook his head. Suddenly, a light flashed in his bewildered eyes, and he muttered:

"This kid is that lucky?"

Tang Hao furrowed his brow tightly, his expression becoming utterly tangled.

After a Mandala Snake died, there should not have been any Soul Power fluctuations. Yet after Zhu Rong kicked the Mandala Snake a few times, Tang Hao discovered that Soul Power fluctuations were still coming from its body!

What did that mean?

Either there was a treasure, or there was an even better treasure!

"A Soul Bone!"

"Kid, move aside. There's something inside this snake."

Tang Hao said to Zhu Rong, who was still kicking the Mandala Snake.

Soul Bones were things one could only hope to encounter, never seek out. Not long after entering the Soul Hunting Forest, they had already obtained three pieces!

And there was another one right before them!

This was something Tang Hao had never even dared dream of before!

"There's something?"

Zhu Rong froze slightly. His eyes lit up, and he subconsciously took several steps back. After thinking for a while, he roughly figured out the answer as well.

"Hiss... Am I really this lucky?"

As an overlord-level Soul Beast in this Soul Hunting Forest, this Mandala Snake had usually been arrogant and overbearing.

But today, it had died too miserably and too unjustly!

It had not even known how its opponent attacked before its eyes were blinded...

The process of death had been so long and so painful. It was hard not for its resentment to grow without limit, which was why a Soul Bone that had not appeared in the original novel had emerged...